EEOC TO FOCUS ON DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LOW-WAGE WORKERS AT
COMMISSION MEETING IN HOUSTON

WASHINGTON - As part of its continuing effort to reach out to
agency stakeholders at the grassroots level, the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold a meeting in
Houston next week to examine the barriers to equal employment
opportunity for low-wage earners. The meeting will be held on
Tuesday, June 22, at 10:00 a.m. in the Thurgood Marshall School of
Law Moot Court Room, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne
Avenue.

"Wage, gender, national origin, and race discrimination only too
often plague the already vulnerable low-wage earner workforce,"
said Ida L. Castro, Chairwoman of the EEOC. "During this meeting,
we will hear from experts and advocates of this important sector
who will offer their insight on how to break down the barriers to
equal employment opportunities. As a result, the Commission will be
better able to focus its outreach and education efforts on
dismantling the discriminatory practices affecting low- wage
workers' employment."

The first session of the meeting, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon,
will consist of a panel of expert witnesses who will present
testimony on a number of issues affecting low-wage workers. Topics
to be discussed include wage bias, worker exploitation, specific
industry trends, demographic population changes, challenges faced
by the immigrant community, the role of organized labor,
welfare-to-work programs, temp services and contingent workers,
limited job opportunities for older workers and persons with
disabilities, and low job classification. The afternoon session,
from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., will feature testimony from low- wage
workers who talk about their workplace experiences.

In addition to major outreach goals spelled out in EEOC's
National Enforcement Plan, each of the agency's 50 field offices
has implemented Local Enforcement Plans at the grassroots level.
Ms. Castro said, "Educating the public about its rights and
responsibilities under the laws we enforce is a crucial element in
EEOC's goal of ensuring discrimination-free workplaces."

Since assuming leadership of the EEOC in October 1998, Ms.
Castro has emphasized establishing a more collaborative
relationship with agency stakeholders. Accordingly, the Commission
now uses its monthly meetings to hear from stakeholder group
representatives who present their views and make recommendations on
how the agency can better serve its constituents.

The Commission has heard from the business community, labor
unions, and advocacy groups for women, minorities, the disabled and
older workers. As a result of this dialogue, a number of
suggestions by stakeholders have been incorporated into the
agency's implementation of programs to expand mediation, enhance
outreach to small and mid-sized employers, and increase education
to under-served communities.

The EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color,
religion, sex, or national origin; the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act, which protects workers 40 and older; the Equal Pay
Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits
discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in
the private sector and state and local governments; prohibitions
against discrimination affecting persons with disabilities in the
federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
Additional information about the Commission is available on the
agency's web site (www.eeoc.gov).